Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

After receiving a lot of information from Instructor Dudley, Ruo Manni felt quite complex and hard to describe emotions, especially regarding matters related to the Hua De family.

After discussing the main topics, Instructor Dudley also scolded Ruo Manni for her training shortcomings before waving her off.

His attitude towards Ruo Manni was always a bit like “iron is not steel,” and because of this attitude, he most loved to point out Ruo Manni’s weaknesses in her training. This made Ruo Manni deeply realize that constant criticism can also lead to progress. At least with Instructor Dudley around, she would never develop the arrogance of thinking she was superior.

After leaving the instructor’s office, Ruo Manni felt a bit disoriented and suddenly had a strong urge to take a walk, so she deliberately took a longer route back to the team training hall.

In the interstellar era where training was part of daily life, there was no saying like “a hundred steps after a meal, living to ninety-nine.” After rebirth, Ruo Manni had been so busy with studying and training that she had never taken a leisurely walk.

The campus in the evening was quite bustling, with many students around. With her current cultivation level at the mid-level of the fourth stage, Ruo Manni blended into the crowd without drawing much attention, except for the fact that she was a pretty young woman.

Looking at the peaceful and serene campus, with young faces full of youthful exuberance, Ruo Manni thought about how she was of the same age as them and was one of them. Gradually, her mood improved a lot.

At that moment, Ruo Manni suddenly received a message from Hebrew Adam: “Where are you? Why haven’t you returned to the training hall yet?”

When Ruo Manni left the training hall, she informed Hebrew Adam of her whereabouts. Before leaving, she had no idea about the assassination reward list and thought the team leader was being overly strict.

Even now, Ruo Manni couldn’t help but roll her eyes a bit. It seemed like even taking a break was not allowed under the watchful eyes of the team leader.

Ruo Manni mischievously replied, “Not in the best of moods, taking a walk to see some pretty boys is eye candy.”

The prince, probably not accustomed to Ruo Manni’s sharp wit, was at a loss for a moment before replying, “Come back quickly, don’t cause trouble for others.”

With her interest interrupted by the prince, Ruo Manni thought that, given the tense atmosphere outside and not knowing if any assassins were mingling in the school, it was best not to risk her life. So, she decided to head straight back to the team training hall.

The area around the team training hall was sparsely populated, and Ruo Manni suddenly felt the presence of three people hiding in the shadows.

At first, Ruo Manni was startled but then relaxed, as these three had no murderous intent or signs of attacking her. Her earwear showed no abnormality, and gradually, she felt they were deliberately making their presence known to her.

Ruo Manni thought quickly and remembered what Instructor Dudley had conveyed: Hua Deqi had sent three shadow guards to protect her. So…

These three must be them, right? They probably wanted her to recognize their presence by letting her discover them deliberately.

Ruo Manni continued walking nonchalantly. After she had taken just five steps, the three hidden figures’ presence vanished, and she could no longer sense them, not even with her mental “search.”

This made Ruo Manni’s heart tighten. Although she was not arrogant, she had confidence in her mental power. The fact that those three shadow guards demonstrated the presence of such skilled individuals made her realize just how weak she truly was in this world.

When she returned to the team training hall, her teammates were deeply engrossed in their training and couldn’t be disturbed. Naturally, Ruo Manni didn’t want to waste time either and went into the skill training room to practice her throwing knife technique.

It wasn’t until the evening training ended and Ruo Manni was back in her personal restroom, soaking in a medicinal bath, that she remembered her troubles.

Tomorrow, she might face a problem: she could very well meet her biological parents at the banquet.

The dresses sent by Hua Deqi, especially noted by Instructor Dudley as being personally purchased by Hua De’s second wife, were a clear indication that Hua Deqi was aware of her true identity. By mentioning it, Hua Deqi was signaling that Hua Deyu and his wife already knew about her identity and wanted to acknowledge her.

Originally, the Crown Prince had prevented Hua Deqi’s family from recognizing her out of concern that revealing her identity might bring danger. But now that she had become the number one target on the assassination reward list, those concerns were no longer necessary, so Hua Deqi’s family wanted to publicly recognize her.

She felt conflicted.

After her rebirth, she had been working hard to walk a different path from the original owner. She felt that this was a path she had carved out for herself, a life she had earned through her own efforts.

Although it might seem pretentious to say so, since she was reborn into this body and everything was originally the work of the previous owner, rejecting their legacy could be seen as a bit self-righteous.

However, everyone has their own principles. She thought to herself: “Even though I am reborn in your body, I will create my own path and not just enjoy the advantages you originally had.”

Therefore, before coming to the Imperial Capital Star, she never considered taking advantage of the Hua De family.

She remained firm in her belief. She did not want to become the legitimate daughter of the Hua De family, nor did she wish to enjoy the prestige and wealth of a noble family, because those were meant for the original owner, not for her as an imposter.

If she did that, it would be equivalent to completely stealing the original owner’s everything.

This was different from Ruo Manni’s acceptance of the Crown Prince and Hua Deqi’s support. Their support was used to improve her cultivation, requiring her to work hard to earn it, and it was not given for free. In the future, when her abilities are sufficient, she will need to repay the Empire and the Crown Prince.

Returning to the Hua De family and enjoying the privileges of that identity was different. It was based on the bloodline of this body, and she felt that it was a complete theft, something she could not accept.

That young girl, so small and unaware, was completely replaced by someone else. No one knew about this, so no one would sigh for her. Even though the person who replaced her was herself, she felt a pang of sadness for that girl.

Thus, she always aimed to forge her own path and life through her own efforts, rather than recklessly enjoying the original owner’s life.

She was aware that she was an imposter. She did not want to return to the Hua De family and steal the original owner’s life. Even though in the novel, the original owner never had the chance to learn about any of this, it still was not something she deserved.

However, the Hua De family’s attitude was so clear, and she was in possession of the original owner’s identity. She could not sever ties with the Hua De family or refuse to acknowledge them.

Thinking of this, Ruo Manni couldn’t help but blame the step-queen. The root of everything was her selfishness.

In the Amber family’s view, it was the step-queen’s younger sister, Gina Amber, who harbored a secret crush on Hua Deyu. However, due to Gina Amber’s genetic disease, no one could predict when she might collapse. Even though Gina Amber had excellent potential for cultivation, her frail health prevented her from practicing. Hua Deyu, unwilling to marry her, chose a girl from the branch family instead. This caused Gina Amber immense heartbreak, and she passed away within five years of being rejected.

If she could speak in her ghostly state at the time, she would have shouted, “Ugh! Don’t put such a stain on Miss Gina’s name. Let the pure and noble lady rest in peace!”